First Group of NZYQ Deportees Successfully Arrive in Nauru, Confirms Burke

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Nauru has accepted the first cohort of deportees from Australia, including members of the NZYQ group, which had visas cancelled on character grounds.

In August, Australia committed to an upfront payment of $408 million to resettle the non-citizens in Nauru, and is expected to spend $2.5 billion over the 30-year lifetime of the deal.

On Friday, Nauru President David Adeang told his parliament the first person had arrived under the deal struck with the Albanese government eight months ago.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed the arrival but did not specify how many people were on the first transfer.

“Nauru confirmed last Friday that the first transfer has occurred,” Burke said in a statement on Tuesday.

“When an individual’s visa is revoked, departure is expected,” authorities assert.

It is understood Nauru initially suggested the deal to the Albanese government as a solution to the NZYQ cohort saga.

As of 12 May 2025, at least 303 former NZYQ detainees have been released into the Australian community since the ruling, according to the Department of Home Affairs.

Several individuals have faced convictions for grave offenses, which resulted in strict curfews and surveillance post-release. Consequently, their visas were annulled due to character assessment guidelines.

A government source has told SBS News that around 280 members of the NZYQ cohort are to be granted visas in Nauru and will live among the local population of around 12,000 people and would not be going into detention.

Last year, the government bolstered its powers to deport members of the group to third countries under new migration laws.

“Irrespective of one’s identity or birthplace, governments should not wield the power to make someone vanish or force them to a nation with which they have no ties,” stated Shoebridge.

The Greens and refugee advocates have criticised the secrecy of the deportation plan, arguing it goes against Australia’s human rights obligations.

Greens immigration spokesperson David Shoebridge expressed concern that once they arrived in Nauru, members of the group could be deported to their home countries against their will, potentially facing persecution or harm.

David Shoebridge, the Greens’ immigration spokesperson, has raised concerns about the deportation policy, suggesting that those sent to Nauru could ultimately be repatriated to their countries of origin. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

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“Labor has been behind the most extreme policies in our immigration system in recent history — mandatory detention, offshore detention, a Trump-style travel ban and now this.”

He said, “people are secretly being sent to Nauru, with key aspects of the deal still kept from the Australian public”, condemning the lack of transparency and “contemptuous silence” from Minister Burke.

The criticisms over secrecy have been echoed by Laura John, associate legal director at the Human Rights Law Centre.

“The Albanese Government’s mass deportation plans have been shrouded in secrecy from the outset,” she told SBS News.

“We do not know if the person who has been exiled has left family behind in Australia, whether they need medical care that is unavailable in Nauru, or even if they still had visa appeal options in Australia.

“This secrecy is not an accident. It is a deliberate tool wielded by the Albanese government to ensure that it does not have to grapple with the real, human consequences of its actions.”

She said this was a “new low” in the treatment of refugees and would ultimately leave a legacy “sowing fear and division against migrant and refugee communities”.